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Artemis
"Tzeentch seeks to bend all of creation to his will, Khorne seeks to drown the universe in blood and Slaanesh seeks the ultimate pleasure, but they are short sighted. They see only the end of the path and do whatever it takes to walk towards it. Nurgle, however, sees their destination not as the end of all things, but simply as the beginning of something new. A new step in the cycle that will never be broken." '' - Artemis, Plague Sorcerer of the Death Guard Origins Barbarus Artemis Mendare was born on what would become the home world of the Death Guard, Barbarus. He, like most of the human population, lived in the valleys far below the peaks where the despotic overlords of the planet ruled. He lived with his family, worked in their farm and did what he could when the rulers of the planets raided their homes, but it was futile to try to stop them. Only after his family was killed and their bodies dragged off by the servants of the overlords did he lose hope in what he had been doing. He abandoned his family name and begin to travel as a vagabond in the valleys, avoiding the overlords' servants whenever he could. It was not until the warrior named Mortarion gathered up the first of his warriors that he began to have hope. He learned from Mortarion and eventually fought with him. In the end he and his brothers were victorious against the overlords of the planet and he was overjoyed to be one of the first to follow Mortarion and become Astartes in Service of the Emperor. The Great Crusade Artemis was a member of the 4th Grand Company of the Death Guard. During the early years of the Great Crusade he had shown aptitude as a psyker but was forced to hide his talents from most of his Legion because of their intense dislike of psykers. After the judgement of the Council of Nikea he was was stationed on the Battle Barge ''Stalwart during the later years of the Great Crusade. After the Triumph at Ullanor he joined the Warrior Lodge on the Stalwart and shared in his brothers' dissatisfaction with the Emperor. He felt betrayed, as they did, that the Emperor had seemingly abandoned them to fight HIS crusade without him. He was chosen as one of those loyal to Mortarion and was honored to join his brothers as they watched the extermination of those who refused to follow their true lord Mortarion, the one who had not abandoned them and given up control of the empire that Artemis and his brothers had fought and died for to petty functionaries. The Horus Heresy It had begun, the fall of the Emperor who had abandoned us and our chance to reclaim the empire that we had fought and died for from the hands of worthless politicians. Following the plan of Horus, Mortarion moved us to Istvaan V as we prepared to fight back against our former brothers, those who refused to see the lies of the Emperor for what they truly were. We laid in wait on Istvaan V as the Emperor's wraith descended upon us, but he was a fool. He trusted too much in the blind faith of his sons and had failed to see that others had seen through his lies as well. As the might of seven full legions began it's assault on the fortifications that we had built, Horus' trap was laid bare. As the Salamanders, Iron Hands, and Raven Guard made a retreat back to their lines, the men that they thought were their allies opened fire upon them as the four other legions revealed their loyalty to the true master of mankind, Horus. After the near total destruction of the three loyalist legions that had descended upon Istvaan V we began to marshal for the assault on Terra alongside the Night Lords, Alpha Legion, Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, Emperor's Children, World Eaters, and the Sons of Horus. We gathered to bring about the end of the Emperor and destroy those who had laid claim to what we had died for. However, after we begin the journey to distant Terra, we were trapped in the warp because of the actions of First Captain Calas Typhon. He killed the fleet navigators and then persuaded our Lord Mortarion that he could guide us through the warp safely to our destination. He lied. While he did guide us through the warp he allowed our ships to become trapped in the clutches of the immaterium as my comrades slowly began to sicken. I can still remember the pain of that sickness. Stumbling around as my body attempted to fight off the contagion that was ravaging our bodies and minds. Our legendary resilience had finally betrayed us, for our bodies refused to succumb to the terrible suffering that we were going through and our pain seemed to never end. In his delirium, Mortarion called our for aid for his legion and he was answered. Nurgle heard his pleas and delivered us from our pain. We came back to ourselves, most of us barely recognizable as Death Guard. Mortarion, now the Angel of Decay led us from the warp as we rejoined our brothers as the servants of Nurgle to spread decay and pestilence among the servants of the False Emperor. In the end however, Horus was cast down by the Emperor and we were forced to retreat from Terra. Mortarion led us in an ordered retreat as the enemy tried to break our lines and end us once and for all, but we finally made it back into the safety of the Eye of Terror. Mortarion claimed the Plague World as his home and it became our new home after the destruction of Barbarus. Current Events After the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, the grand companies of the Death Guard began to break down into much smaller warbands as we sought our retribution against the Imperium. I followed my Captain as he formed his own warband with his elite company of Plague Marines. We struck out into the sectors and subsectors surrounding the Eye of Terror on missions to spread the glory of Nurgle to our enemies. We carried out this way for centuries as we waged near constant warfare on the servants of the False Emperor. During one of our transits through the warp while I was on board a raider class vessel, we were splintered off from our group due to a warp storm that sprung up around our fleet. Our ship was cast through the immaterium and we arrived in unknown space. My squad was deployed along with others and we cast out into real space on scout vessels in order to find out where we had arrived at. But to our misfortune, it seems we had arrived in the space of the Word Bearers. We were "welcomed" onto their ship as they claimed my small vessel for themselves and my brothers and I were virtually imprisoned. It seems that they did not find us to be very pleasant company. During my imprisonment, I was approached by First Acolyte Ephitas. He had a plan to escape the station with one of their ships and strike out on his own, but he needed allies. I agreed to his terms, but on our way to our escape the rest of my squad was killed while myself and my new allies barely made it aboard the Dark Creed and escaped the Word Bearer fleet. Our ship sustained heavy damage during the escape and we were forced to raid Gryphon Station in order to try to gather supplies for ourselves and our new ship after we found ourselves on the other side of the galaxy near the Screaming Vortex. Legends and Fables Engagement with Loyalist on a lonely world I could hear the wind howling around me even with my helmet on. It had come out of nowhere, blowing up from the south. I let in a puff of air through my breath grill and breathe in the familiar smell of decay. The smell follows us wherever we go, unescapable and unrelenting. I gaze up at the sky above me and watch the unfamiliar stars, what few are visible through the black smoke that drifts lazily through the air. My eyes trace the black smoke back to its origin some distance behind me to a small town that still burned in the distance. I let a small smile cross my lips as the memories of that raid come back to me. The screams of the dying as the harsh bangs of bolter fire rings out all around me. The pained weeping of those touched by the very diseases that strengthen the bodies of some of my comrades as they walked among the dying, spreading the gift of Nurgle to those around them. I snap back to attention before me as I hear Ekoran call out an incoming target. I gaze at the rotted and disease riddled form of Ekoran, the Mark of Nurgle clear to see on his bare forehead, as he signals the approach of our quarry. The attack on the village had been a ruse to attempt to draw out our real prey. We had learned of a small band of Astartes from an unknown loyalist chapter was in the area and it seems like our attack had drawn them out. I look around at my assembled brothers as I move slowly up to the edge of the ledge that we are taking cover behind and peer over. Another, wider, smile crosses my lips as I see the light flash off of blue armor in the distance and I see the horseshow emblem on their left shoulders. Ultramarines. I do a quick head count and see that there are 30 of them against our paltry 11. But we have the element of surprise. They have no idea who attacked the town and are responding only to the signal that it had been attacked. I duck back behind cover and rack the slide on my bolter as I wait for the signal from Ekoran. I watch as Ekoran glances over our cover again and begins to count down quietly from 10 as we eagerly await the coming battle. As he reaches the end of the countdown we rise up in union and take aim as Ekoran gives the order for us to open fire. I watch as the first salvo drops 5 of the enemy Astartes to the ground as they reel from the sudden attack. The bolter bucks in my hands as the shots fly through the air and I watch as the first 2 shots burst on the exterior of my target’s armor until the third shot penetrates and he drops to the floor. The fight has just started and 6 of the enemy are down. I glance down their line and see that the officer is rallying his men as they drop back into better cover. I see another two of them go down as they fall back and begin to return fire. I calmly fire into the mass of enemies as more of the Ultramarines drop to the ground. I see that more than half of the enemy are down as I hear Ekoran give the order to advance. I reload the magazine for my bolter as I step over our cover and begin to calmly fire off short burst while advancing towards the enemy. Suddenly, I feel a chill run through my whole body as I feel the warp being gathered around one of the Ultramarines. With a sudden realization I activate my vox and shout into it “Librarian!” I gaze through the ranks of the Ultramarines as I see an Astartes in the back brandishing a strange sword as he orders his men into the fight. Another one of the Ultramarines falls as the Librarian leads the counter charge. We meet like two waves crashing into each other as I hear the sound of metal crashing into metal as swords meet blades. I bring out my combat blade just before I cross blades with one of the Ultramarines. I swiftly parry his blow and knock his blade to the side as I move to his side. As I pass the Ultramarine, I swiftly run my blade in through his side and I hear him gasp in pain. I draw the blade back out as he stumbles back and then drive in a finishing blow into his neck right above the gorget. Right as I’m pulling the blade back out from my kill I’m thrown backwards and onto the ground by a shockwave of force. I gasp in pain as I feel one of my ribs has been broken and I struggle back to my feet. I look across the clearing to see that all of my brothers are dead or on the ground from the blast of energy and my eyes focus on two figures still struggling from the epicenter of the blast. Ekoran is dueling the Librarian with his plague sword out as the two of them swiftly trade blows. I step over the corpses of my brothers and fallen Ultramarines as I see that myself, Ekoran, another brother, and the Librarian are the last ones alive. I consider to go to aid Ekoran but just as I begin to step forward, the Librarian takes a stinging blow from Ekoran’s plague sword as he drives blade into the Librarian’s torso. However, the Librarian grits his teeth as he grabs Ekoran’s wrist, holding him tight, and runs him through with his sword. There is a flair of psychic might from the sword and Ekoran burst into flames and is almost vaporized by the energy of the Librarian’s attack. The Librarian carefully reaches up and pulls the plague sword out of his body, grunting with the effort. He gasp as the blade is fully withdrawn and I feel the warp being gathered again as there is another flash of energy as the Librarian destroys the sword. I look to my brother, who gives me a nod, and we charge the Ultramarine Librarian. I fire off a short burst of bolter rounds as I see them deflected by a psychic shield around the Librarian as he meets the charge of my brother. The Librarian easily parries my brother’s attack with his sword and then, with a single motion, carves him in half. I discard the useless bolter at my side as I pick up a fallen chainsword from the ground next to me. I slowly begin to circle the Librarian as he gives me an appraising look, hate filling his eyes. With a steadying breath, I rev up the chainsword and then charge the Librarian with my sword at the ready to deliver a killing blow. He meets my blade mid swing as he then drives my blow to the side and then swings a blow at my torso. I swiftly redirect the momentum of my sword and parry his blade as metal meets metal. I see him grimace as I parry the blow and realize that the blow that Ekoran landed inflicted more harm then was obvious. I grin as I realize that the vile contagions of the Nurgle blessed blade would be attacking him from the inside even now. As our blades meet again I begin to draw the power of the warp into myself. I know I am not a direct match for a Librarian, so I go for a more subtle approach. As metal rings out once again, resounding over the droning roar of my sword, I suddenly flood the Librarian’s mind with images and whispers of all kind. I see him shake his head a little as if he is trying to shake off the images that are assaulting his mind. Taking advantage of his momentary distracting as he pushes his blade against mine a little too hard. I suddenly step backwards and to the side as his momentum carries him tumbling forward. I swiftly turn as he stumbles past me and drive my chainsword into his back. I drive the toothed edge of the blade through his armor and watch as red chunks of meat fly off the edge of my blade. I switch off the chainsword as I watch the last vestiges of life leave the body of the Librarian. I throw the sword aside as I look around at the carnage. I see the bodies of more than 40 Astartes littering the ground as I stand alone among the fallen. I walk slowly around the corpse of the Librarian and stop next to his arm. I reach down and grasp the hilt of the Librarian’s sword and raise it up before me. A large smile creases my face as I watch sparks of energy dance along the crystalline lattice work of the blade. Artefacts and Arcana Associates Allies First Acolyte Ephitas of the Word Bearers Associates Octavius Faust of the Red Templars (Deceased, KIA on the Graveworld) Vestan Ascher of the Alpha Legion (Deceased, KIA on Tranch in the most badass way) Tancred of the Ultramarines (Deceased, KIA on the Morningstar, killed by Morningstar) Techmarine Draken of the Iron Hands (Murdered by Artemis, he totally deserved it) Tyris of the Raven Guard Karael Kys of the Raptors of the Masque Cuprus Oxum of the Iron Warriors Morsang of the Lamentors Zadkiel of the Raptors of the Masque Lucifer the Fallen Angel Enemies First Captain Calas Typhon Castor Inquisitor Jericho